White Reaper Style
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . This ancient Celestial martial art dates back to the Primordial War. Invented and first demonstrated by the Lunar warrior Owl-Feathered Princess, its Steward practitioners insist that it was the first non-animal style martial art developed during the War. The Sidereals scoff, but the deployment of time- warping weaponry during the War makes establishing a solid timeline of innovation impossible. Luna has been known to favor the style's practitioners when wearing her Silver-Horned Watcher aspect. White Reaper is a rare style in Creation‟s Age of Sorrows, practiced and taught primarily by a very small handful of elder Lunars. It has experienced a recent resurgence in popularity among the Swords of Luna, although the high mortality rate of that particular faction keeps the style‟s relative number of practitioners low. The style is widely known and practiced in Autochthonia, where it is viewed as an effective weapon to be turned against the Void. Weapons and Armor: White Reaper style treats attacks made with the scythe, the spear and their artifact equivalents as unarmed for the purpose of its Charms. It is fully compatible with armor. FALLING SCYTHE FLASH Cost: 2m; Mins: Martial Arts 2, Essence 2; Type: Supplemental Keywords: Combo-OK Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: None After taking a moment to coolly judge the optimal point to apply force to an opponent, the martial artist strikes without restraint. An unarmed attack enhanced by this Charm counts the character‟s Strength twice for the purpose of determining raw damage. REVOLVING CRESCENT DEFENSE Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts 3, Essence 2; Type: Reflexive (Step 2) Keywords: Combo-OK Duration: One tick Prerequisite Charms: None The martial artist presents a constantly moving defensive screen. Any imperfections in this array of blocks and deflections are mere illusions, which disappear a heartbeat after they are seen. The character selects a single opponent when activating this Charm. Not only does she enjoy immunity to onslaught penalties when attacked by this adversary, but the opponent‟s multiple action penalties are (non-cumulatively) doubled for every action in which he attacks the martial artist. WHITE REAPER FORM Cost: 5m; Mins: Martial Arts 4, Essence 2; Type : Simple Keywords: Form-type, Obvious, W Duration: One scene Prerequisite Charms: Falling Scythe Flash, Revolving Crescent Defense The martial artist rears up into a grim and terrifying battle posture, regarding her opponents as little more than grass to be scythed down before her. All unarmed attacks made by the martial artist add one to their Accuracy and Rate, and her bare-handed attacks inflict lethal damage. More notably, every time the character slays an opponent or inflicts damage on a complementary unit in mass combat while this Charm is active, a halo of sizzling silver-white Essence surges around her like a second skin and adds one to her Dodge MDV. The martial artist may retain up to (Essence) halos at once. Any opponents slain in excess of this number simply create a brilliant argent discharge around the martial artist, accomplishing nothing. All standing halos dissipate when this Form-type Charm is deactivated. BLEEDING CRESCENT STRIKE Cost: 2m; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 2; Type: Supplemental Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: White Reaper Form Condensing the swirling corona around her into a single blindingly bright line, the martial artist suddenly strikes with preternatural accuracy, adding a number of dice equal to her Essence to an unarmed attack roll. Additionally, for each halo the martial artist is carrying from White Reaper Form, she adds one to the Accuracy of an unarmed attack supplemented by this Charm. As equipment bonuses, accuracy dice gained from a halo do not count as dice added by a Charm for the purpose of dice-adding caps. Invoking Bleeding Crescent Strike spends all halos the character has, resetting her current number to zero. IMPENETRABLE WHITE SHROUD Cost: 5m; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 2; Type: Reflexive (Step 2) Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious Duration: One scene Prerequisite Charms: Bleeding Crescent Strike Taking a deep, measured breath, the martial artist draws the flickering aura of power around her tight against her skin. This ablative Essence barrier adds + (current halos x 2) in armored lethal and bashing soak. This value is not static, but fluctuates as the character gains and spends halos throughout the scene. FLICKERING CORONA BARRIER Cost: 5m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3; Type: Reflexive (Step 2) Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious Duration: One scene Prerequisite Charms: Impenetrable White Shroud Executing a lightning-fast kata, the White Reaper practitioner bends the arcing nimbus of power around herself into a flickering shield. For the duration of this Charm, the martial artist adds (1 + current number of halos) to her Parry DV. This value is not static, but fluctuates as the character gains and spends halos throughout the scene. GREATEST KILLER ATTITUDE Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3; Type: Supplemental Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: Bleeding Crescent Strike The martial artist‟s corona flashes, then surges in one vast rush to the leading edge of an unarmed attack launched at an opponent. An attack enhanced with this Charm adds + (halos x 2) to its raw damage, or + (halos / 2) to its post-soak damage, as desired. Invoking this Charm spends all current halos, as in Bleeding Crescent Strike. ENEMIES LIKE GRASS Cost: 3m; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 3; Type: Extra Action Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: Greatest Killer Attitude Leaving a series of argent contrails behind him, the martial artist launches a devastating series of attacks. This Charm produces a flurry of attacks, made at the martial artist‟s full dice pool, equal to (2 + current number of stored halos). This flurry ignores Rate, has a Speed equal to the highest of any attack in the flurry and a total DV penalty equal to that of the greatest penalty in the flurry. Invoking this Charm spends all current halos, as in Bleeding Crescent Strike. SNOW FOLLOWS WINTER Cost: 7m, 1wp; Mins: Martial Arts 5, Essence 4; Type: Reflexive Keywords: Combo-OK, Obvious Duration: Instant Prerequisite Charms: Enemies Like Grass, Flickering Corona Barrier The character takes a moment to renew himself with the essence of battle. His corona contracts and disappears into his body, healing his wounds. He spends all halos, regaining one bashing health level per halo or one lethal health level per two halos, as desired. Any “extra” halos are simply lost without benefit.